U.S., Israel Still at Odds over Settlements

JERUSALEM, Israel - Israel and the U.S. remained at odds over the issue of Israeli building in settlements, following a meeting between Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and U.S. special Middle East envoy George Mitchell on Tuesday. Topping the agenda of their four-hour meeting was the issue of construction in Jewish communities in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria). According to a joint statement released after the meeting, the two discussed a "full range of issues related to Middle East peace and security" and "contributions" that Israel, the Palestinians, Arab countries and international community should make to the effort. Specifically, the discussions "covered a wide range of measures needed to create a climate conducive to peace," the statement said. For the Palestinians, that included taking measures regarding... [read full story]                    

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